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MARYVILLE, Mo.— Enel Green Power announced Thursday that five employees with a subcontractor on site at the White Cloud wind farm have confirmed cases of COVID-19.

It is unknown if the three cases announced today by the Nodaway County Health Department are connected. According to a health department news release issued today, the total number of cases in Nodaway County is 11.

On Tuesday, Tabitha Frank with the department said four of those 11 have recovered.

"This week we’re coming into kind of a crucial time period in regard to reopening,” said Tom Patterson, Nodaway County Health Department administrator, at a Tuesday morning meeting with the county commission.

Below is a statement from Enel Green Power.

“It has been confirmed that five employees of a subcontractor working on the White Cloud wind project construction site in Nodaway County tested positive for COVID-19. The crew members are being treated and are isolating at home, and we wish them a swift recovery.

"Since mid-March, as a precautionary measure, we have been following the guidance set forth by government officials and health experts in managing the risk of COVID-19. In the United States, we enacted strict travel guidelines, stepped up office and project site sanitation and implemented ways for our office employees to conduct their jobs remotely and follow safe working practices if and when on-site. At all our construction sites including White Cloud, teams have implemented enhanced safety measures since the early stages of the pandemic and were restructured and segmented to maintain social distancing as well as other best practices. Furthermore, we are taking additional precautions as some state and local restrictions are being relaxed around the country, including mandatory temperature checks for all people entering the site.

Because of our team restructuring, the recovering workers at White Cloud had limited contact with other crew members on site, each of whom has been identified, directed to isolate at home and administered COVID-19 tests. Utilities and electric system operators are relying on power producers, like Enel, to meet their energy requirements and our team is working hard to ensure a safe, reliable electricity supply. We are closely monitoring the impact of the coronavirus throughout our North American operations and as this situation continues to evolve, our top priority remains the health and welfare of our employees, their families, our partners and the communities where we live and work.

"In addition, we recognize that this pandemic has caused serious challenges in Missouri. Several weeks ago, we announced that Enel Green Power has committed $110,000 in support to local agencies across Missouri to support preparedness and response to COVID-19. This includes $50,000 to Community Hospital-Fairfax, $5,000 to the Nodaway County Senior Center, and a total of $25,000 between the volunteer fire departments in Polk, Skidmore, Graham and Barnard."